Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted he regards Manchester United's two European Cup wins as inadequate given the Old Trafford club's standing in the world game.

Going right back to his time at Aberdeen, the lure of European combat has always given Ferguson an added thrill, so it is fitting his 1000th game in charge of the Old Trafford outfit should be in the Champions League.

Yet it remains a major source of disappointment that despite reaching the quarter-finals seven times on the trot from 1997, United have added to their 1968 triumph under Sir Matt Busby just once, on that never-to-be-forgotten night in Barcelona six seasons ago.

It leaves the Red Devils two titles adrift of Bayern Munich, Ajax and Liverpool, four behind AC Milan and a massive seven away from the undisputed European kings Real Madrid. And that is a statistic Ferguson will devote the remainder of his career to rectifying.

'Perfect'

"Some of the greatest moments I have had here have been European matches, so to mark my 1000th match as manager with a Champions League tie is just perfect," said Ferguson, who will celebrate his 63rd birthday on New Years' Eve.

"Anyone of my age brought up in Scotland watching European football will never forget the night back in 1960 when Real Madrid beat Eintracht Frankfurt 7-3 at Hampden Park that night.

"After that you have a dream of being in a European Cup and playing against the great teams. It's only since the advent of the Champions League that you have all these teams together in one competition but that has just made it harder to win.

"Even so, I think it's a fact that in terms of the general history of our club we should expect to have won it the same number of times as the likes of Ajax, Bayern and AC Milan.

"I divorce Real Madrid from this scenario purely because the number of times they have won it is quite exceptional.

"But certainly for the other powers in Europe there is no reason why we should not be thinking of winning it the same number of times."

When he eventually sits back in his rocking chair and muses on what might have been, Ferguson, like most United followers, will look back at the 2002 away goals semi-final exit to Bayer Leverkusen and shake his head.

The unfashionable Germans did come agonisingly close to landing the same Treble as United achieved in 1999 but the sheer weight of history and magnitude of the respective clubs suggests United should have gone on to face Real Madrid to round off what was at one stage expected to be Ferguson's retirement year.

"We have been very unlucky at times and the Bayer Leverkusen semi-final was one of those times but generally I can look back and be proud of the achievements of the team in terms of performance.

"Yes, sometimes we have been disappointed with the outcome of matches in the latter stages but at the end of the day our performance level over the past decade has been one of the highest level in Europe."

Progress

Victory over Lyon tomorrow will ensure United's customary progress into the knock-out phase, while even a draw would do providing Ferguson's side managed to avoid a four-goal drubbing by Fenerbahce in their final group outing on December 8.

However, given the significance of the night, the Red Devils will want to mark the occasion with a performance to remember.

It is a measure of Ferguson's longevity that European combat was denied to him during his first five years at the club as a result of the UEFA ban imposed on English sides following the Heysel disaster in 1985.

Since the door was opened in 1990 though, United are alone in gaining entry to one European competition or another in every single season since.

And while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's last-gasp winner over Bayern Munich remains the moment that defines Ferguson's 18 years at Old Trafford, the Scot does not dismiss impact made on the club by their Cup Winners' Cup triumph over Barcelona in Rotterdam eight years earlier.

"That victory was a watershed for us," he said.

"We had a team that was just developing and while we had won the FA Cup the season before, you know a team can be inspired enough over a six game spell in that competition to cause a surprise.

"The Cup Winners' Cup was entirely different because when you face Barcelona in a final, you know you are in a major competition.

"We acquitted ourselves terrifically that night and thankfully won. From that point on, the progress and acceleration made by the club was amazing."